It actually all began at high-school… I’d never sang before and for some reason decided to audition for our school musical Peter Pan. The next thing I knew I got the lead role and basically it all started from there!
What had you first interested in music?
My parents both sing and play instruments, so it was always around me and something I wanted to do. My parents put me in piano lessons in primary school, and when I was 12 I started teaching myself the guitar.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
Great music can move people, influence people, even save people. To have an ability to “speak” to someone in this form is an incredible gift and something I will never take for granted, and that’s why I do what I do.
What are your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
I want to tour internationally and play on the biggest stages around the world. Right now my goal is to hit a million streams on Spotify… once I achieve that I’ll move onto the next goal and so on… it’s kinda a never-ending process and it’s how I am fulfilled.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour? A tour to Melbourne and Sydney in July! Along with some more music releases 😉
Tell us a bit about your latest album and how would you best describe your music?
My EP was very much a singer-songwriter with different flavours of pop, rock, folk, and soul. It was definitely me discovering my sound and trying different things, and had a lot of deep thoughts in it. For me is a document of that time in my life.
Success, what is the secret to it? Passion, work ethic, and just the right amount of crazy.
What has been your biggest career highlight?
This is a really hard question… it’s hard to top the Peter Pan thing actually! I can’t describe the feeling but it was so relieving and emotional because I’d taken this leap of faith and it had pulled off. I’m really proud of myself for throwing myself in the deep end like that, especially as a “cool footy boy” at school, took a lot of guts haha!
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring? Ed Sheeran, Michael Rosenburg (Passenger), Eminem
Any new projects in the pipeline? A new EP!
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
Honestly I have no bloody clue haha! I hope to see myself amongst the top calibre of artists in Australia and be doing well internationally.
Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists. Matt Corby, Flume, Sia, Pnau
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
Business is business and the music industry is forever changing! I hate that social media is such a huge 24/7 part of my job but I also love it because I can connect with my listeners so easily and can reach more people than ever before. I do hate though that platforms like onlyfan’s can make people thousands but streaming services pay artists less than a cent per stream for their hours of dedication and sacrifice… it’s a little bit backwards, but at the end of the day it’s not about the money so I’m grateful for the opportunity to have my music heard in almost every country in the world.
Thanks for the interview! What final message do you have for us today?
Thank you for supporting local music and please if you have two seconds, follow me on Spotify and check out my tunes!!
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM catches up with Aussie group Darlinghurst.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
We all together through a mutual producer Pete Dacy, who knew all of us through separate projects and sessions. When he picked up on all of us liking the idea of doing original projects, he basically got us all in contact with each other to see what happened and if sparks flew. Now we are here!
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
I think for us what motivates us is the fact that we want to make the best music that we can and using the different styles that each of us bring to create something that is uniquely Darlinghurst
What are your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
Our biggest goal is to be able to continue writing and performing and make a solid living doing what we love. For our songs to be universally recognised would also be very special
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
In the coming months we hope to start gigging a whole lot more. We are also in the process of finishing off our debut album. If we get the chance to tour in the near future that would be something we would absolutely love
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
Our latest release is Called ‘Where Do We Go’ and it really about spending time with the ones that mean the most, travelling in the same direction and really enjoy every moment along the way. I think we would best describe our music is country with portions of styles from all 4 members blended together.
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?
I think every song is slightly different. We are lucky that all 4 of us write and get inspiration from so many different spaces and experiences that we have been through. We are all so open to ideas that we all have to ultimately create something uniquely us.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
Maybe… but if we told you it wouldn’t be hidden anymore. Haha
Success, what is the secret to it?
We have no idea. We love that we have the opportunity for write and sing together and do what we love and for us that means more than anything else.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
In our very short career thus far we have had some mind blowing highlights and opportunities from supporting some of Australia’s most iconic artists including The Black Sorrows, Thirsty Merc and Cad and Morris to performing on the red carpet at the Golden Guitar Awards in Tamworth but I think the craziest thing we have down was playing at Rochford Winery with the one and only Jimmy Barnes.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
How much time have we got…? Haha no we find the most inspiring artists are the ones who keep grounded, respectful and really stands by their art and their vision.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
At the moment our main focus is finishing this debut album but we definitely have a few things up our sleeve but you may just have to wait for that.
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
Hopefully still all together, writing, touring and continuing our Darlinghurst journey
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?
Our favourite part would definitely have to be getting to do what we love and experiencing it all together. Not a lot of people get to do what they love and we are really blessed to be able to do that. The least favourite part would probably have to be being away at times from the people that we love the most but we are lucky that we have each other.
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
Wow this is a very hard question as we have so many. Jimmy Barnes, Thirsty Merc, The Myclymonts, John Farnham, Diesel, The Black Sorrows and ACDC would just be a very small start.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
As an artist there is a part of you that just has to go along with how things are changing to help get our music out there. I think though especially for us performing live is the most impactful way of getting our music out it is one of our favourite things to do and people can really see who we are and how much we love making our music and sharing with whoever will listen.
How do you plan on cracking the international market?
At the moment we are just focusing on getting our album finished and then we will start working on some sort of plan. The ongoing pandemic has obviously changed a lot of plans for everyone, but we will keep at it and we will find a way to put the word out there as best we can.
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
Yes we do collaborate with others. A handful of our songs( including Where Do We Go) have been written with the acoustic/pop duo Dacy. We are always working out of the same studio and around each other so ideas have flowed during coffee breaks etc. They are very talented writers so we feel blessed we get to spend so much time with them. In regards to a wish-list, we’d love to collaborate with anyone that shares a similar vision and who’s just as excited about the writing process as we are.
What advice do you give for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
There is quite a lot of advice we could give to people wanting to do the exact same thing that we are trying to do but I think the most important things are patience, persistence and hard work. You can never be the best but if you constantly are working at your craft and working to better yourself and as a band you can’t go wrong. This industry is full of ups and downs and you just need to push through especially if the love is there. You definitely need to have a love of music over anything else to be in this industry.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your fans?
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. If it wasn’t for people loving what we are doing and following our music, it would be so hard to build yourself in this industry. Fans and music lovers are the heart of it and if we can connect to people through our music then for us, that means the world. We try to interact in all ways whether it be through social media, through gigs and just people reaching out to us. We are so grateful for people enjoying our music, so interacting with them makes us really happy.
Any last words?
Love what you do and be kind. Right now in the world we live in, its so important to make the most of the life we have, so we need to grab and never let go.
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM catches up with Australian singer/songwriter Adam Faybrem.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry? When I was 4 years old, I remember switching on MTV and Rage and seeing all heavy height Pop and RnB artists from Cher to Madonna, Michael Jackson and Usher. I said to myself I wanted to become a great entertainer one day and be able to spark joy in others and inspire others how I was inspired.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music? Life scenarios and listening to other artists create this is where I get my influences from. Also always having a message, you want to put out into the world, whether it would about you and your personal experiences or someone else’s view of a certain event in their life.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish? Make the world a better place, even if it means financial contribution, I always had that in my heart to make the world great again. Also winning a Grammy or 2 hehe…
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour? I started planning recently as soon as my album drops around July, and then I am going to plan a tour hoping this pandemic dies down quickly.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music? Everytime is my 2nd single off my upcoming album “Disco Galaxy” and I heavily express the love for a person you thought would never show interest in you, I mention how much I want of that and never wanting to lose them. The style of this whole album is Pop, Disco and EDM, So I am giving everyone a little bit of everything in one album.
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs? If something happens to me personally, I can be quick to write down how I felt in a song, sometimes it comes from past experiences in life or events. My strongest writing point is basically third person view type of writing where I see someone going through something or if a friend or a family member tells me an experience, I quickly jolt that down.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music? There are hidden meanings in all songs from all artists and as for me, I am the king of controversy so I do have messages and meanings but I’ll let listeners decode the album.
Success, what is the secret to it? This is a really good question from what I see success I feel its being honest with yourself, loving yourself as much as possible. Putting out good and truthful relatable content so that people can relate to you also your characteristics reflecting on anything you do comes to show the real success a person or an artist brings, helping people in any way you can this applies to yourself. That I feel is true success it’s showing purpose fulfilling life duties and not just being a glorified monument.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far? Sitting at number 10 in the UK charts back in 2013 – 2014 it happened so quick and that is probably my greatest achievement in music so far, hopefully I break into more charts with this album in the next coming months.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring? Freddie Mercury, I watched the movie bohemian rhapsody and I never knew how rough he had it in his personal and music life this really sparked new flames in me. I can list probably 20 stars but the main people are as mentioned. I will include Michael Jackson and David Bowie and Tony Bennet, Cher, Madonna, Justin Timberlake. Growing up I had too many, but in more recent years I would say Drake, Sia, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline? There are a few which include acting, some that are Netflix featured, but due to the pandemic since last year everything was put on hoping it all commences end of year.
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself a few years? I will be completely honest and say I have no idea; I could lie and say a billionaire living in the Bahamas but the world and the industry is constantly changing who knows where any of us might be. I am hoping though to see myself as a great inspiring, innovative artist to the rest of the world.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why? Being able to always express yourself freely, having a mind of your own with no one telling you what to do. On the other note always trying to maintain a particular consistent product, which sometimes doesn’t cater to most.
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists. Sia, Iggy Azalea, Vanessa Amorosi, Delta Goodrem, Jessica Mauboy.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye? I have seen it evolve with my own eyes being in the heart of Hollywood to the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne to my bedroom. Because of technology and social media, it’s easier to make records and release them on your own. We know major labels always have the key’s, but if you get lucky and strategize there is always a way in. It’s rare to see that success come from such a plan, but releasing music to the world means everything. Because I mentioned earlier that when you make relatable content and people enjoy it and feel the emotions you are feeling, and when they understand what you go through and for some to come and tell you about it, that really is a good feeling.
How will you continue appealing to the international market? Very simple maintaining your image and staying on trend its mediocre but it works.
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list? When I was doing ambassador work for iHeartRadio, we held events with Kiss fm for artists like Adam Lambert, Shawn Mendes, Ariana Grande. I got to write a song for Shawn but his team refused it haha.. I also had a song writing session with AJ McLean from the Backstreet Boys but that single got dropped in 2018. I would love to work with anyone really, I am open minded and hate to miss out on opportunities.
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps? Don’t make silly mistakes always read over every business contract twice. Think about your decisions and actions before making or doing them. Don’t be afraid to show who you truly are, and never comprise your creative output.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans? Twitter and Instagram, I try to respond to everyone on Instagram but some dm’s need to stay unopened because they are either inappropriate or spam haha.
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM special interview with international artist/DJ Milwin.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
My music interest started at an early age, as far as I can remember music has been a big part of my life. My father has always been in a band, so growing up I got to watch him perform and rehearse. When I was six years old I started to drum on the pillows and pots in the kitchen. Then I went to music schools and played drums in different bands. After that I discovered DJ-ing and electronic music at the age of twelve which got me into producing my own music.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
As a little kid I got inspired by my father who plays in a band. After listening to rock music I wanted to be a rockstar and got influenced by the rockbands.
The first time I heard electronic dance music it really caught my attention as a young kid, I felt it was something I wanted to be a part of to express my feeling through out music. I was influenced by Avicii, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia. Now I’m influenced by all kinds of artists from all types of genres actually.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish?
As an artist and producer I always want to evolve and become better at my craft releasing good music and working with good musicians. My biggest goal as an artist would be looking back at my career when I’m older and being proud of what I’ve accomplished.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
I have 3 songs out at the moment which are all doing well, On My Way, No Turning Back and New Levels, I hope people will dance to my music the coming months. Unfortunately no touring until the pandemic is under control.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
I actually released 3 songs in 1 month on 3 different labels between mid October – mid November. Usually you want at least 4-6 weeks between each release as the label needs time to work each track and you don’t want them to compete against each other for playlist or radio support. But each label is amazing with a fantastic team behind it, I’m very humble for all the support the music has received.
Give us an insight into your creaIve process. What gets you writing songs?
It depends. Sometimes I can get inspired from songs I listen to, that can lead to a feeling I wanna re- create. Sometimes I have sessions with different types of songwriters/producers and we start writing a track from scratch or write on something I’ve made earlier. Or sometimes melodies and rhythms comes into my head and I start a new project immediately.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
No hidden meaning. I released a track called “Own Shit” with my friend and very talented singer/ songwriter Adam Benya. In the song we added a sentence in Swedish which we thought was cool.
Success, what is the secret to it?
Hard work, consistency, study your craft, be creative, think outside of the box and have a lot of fun while doing it.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
My latests release has received massive support on international radio being played on BBC1, Capital, KISS FM etc. I’ve also been booked twice to Weekend Festival which is one of Scandinavia’s biggest festivals. Im very grateful for the support.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Theres so many… To name a few: Daft Punk, Calvin Harris, Kanye West, Prince.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
Oh Yes Oh Yes! Stay tuned.
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself a few years?
I will still be releasing the music I love. Let’s look back on this interview a few years from now and hope thats true.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?
Favourite part of this job is that I’m actually doing this everyday and can spend time on it whenever I want.
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
Tame Impala, Bee Gees, Empire Of the Sun, Flume, Fisher.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye? It sucks. I think the music industry is too much about how many followers you have on your social media. I guess it’s still just about the money. But I need to adapt to the landscape of the industry. I’m blessed to have such a fantastic management that helps and supports me.
How will you continue appealing to the internaIonal market?
Releasing some fire music and touring the world giving them a night they probably will forgot as they got to f*ucked up haha.
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
Yes I do, mostly songwriters and songwriters. Would be cool to make a track with Pharrell Williams.
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Work hard, listen and learn, make a lot of music and try different types of genres, find a great team that supports you.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans?
On my Instagram page: milwinonline.
Any last words?
Follow my social medias to be the first to hear from me!
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM catches up with local Melbourne artist Lakelend.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry? I started playing guitar properly when I was around 1o years old. From there I played in the different groups they had available to be a part of at school. When I was about 14 (year 8) I ‘got the bug’ and was hooked. This came after watching some of the older kids play in the live band for the school production ‘Grease’. I just thought it was so cool that these guys not much older than me were performing these songs exactly like the originals, doing them justice and really making noise! From that moment on I knew this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to play music, so I started practicing, alot.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music? Performing live, hands down. There is literally no better feeling in the world than having an audience react to your output of sound, stories, messages and emotions.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish? The ultimate dream is to build a career playing my songs to as many people around the world as possible and set up myself and my close friends and family during the process.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour? So I’ve just dropped my second single ‘Supernova’ with the music video to follow! I’ll be releasing a few more tracks as we move into the new year and then it will definitely be time to start playing some shows!
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?Supernova is about the journey of falling in love with someone extremely fast, moments within and looking back. I wrote and recorded this in August 2019 with my good friend Cam Bluff. Cam co-produced Amy Shark’s breakout smash ‘Adore’ and has also created some of the bangers from Hilltop Hoods, Illy & Allday to name a few!
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs? I think for me, most of my songs (so far) have been linked to extremely emotional times of my life. Whether that be heartbreak, intense romance or loss there is definitely some type of correlation or common thread in the songs that I write. I’ll usually start with a story or diary entry that i have written on my phone and pull it apart, reshape it and create a song out of it.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music? Not specifically as I try to make my experiences as easy as possible for the listener to understand but I will say that each single artwork so far has the letters ‘BHC’ on the right hand side. These letters will be linked to and revealed a bit further down the track.
Success, what is the secret to it? Success to me is doing what you love every day. So many people settle for something less, but I can’t. I’ve got a dream and I won’t rest until it’s a reality.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far? I think there have been a couple of highlights so far during my time in the music industry. Some would include playing to thousands of people in my old band ‘Storm The Sky’ at a festival called ‘Unify Gathering’ as well as playing some of Australia’s most iconic venues like The Enmore Theatre with ‘The Used’ and also having the opportunity to tour the country relentlessly and pop over to play in New Zealand!
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring? There are a few artists that I really look up to. One that inspires me everyday is Juice WRLD (rip). He had a brain and work ethic like no other.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline? There are, this year has allowed me to write song after song and build up a really cool collection to choose what I release in the future. The plan (at this stage) is to put out a couple more stand alone singles and then a body of work.
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself in a few years? I see myself touring as much as I can both in Australia and overseas. I want the world to know my songs.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why? Favourite would be performing for sure. I don’t really have a least favourite but I guess at this early stage of the game asking fans or friends to help push things isn’t my favourite thing to do but it’s necessary! (I don’t like asking for help in general so that’s probably ingrained as part of my personality!)
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists. A few Australian friends/artists that are killing it right now would be: The Kid Laroi, Troye Sivan, Ruel, Illy, ONEFOUR, Mallrat, Running Touch, GRAACE, CXLOE, Triple One, Lastlings & Carla Wehbe.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye? I think with the internet and social media things can happen for an artist extremely quickly nowadays. Someone could be slaving away for 10+ years and then ‘overnight’ a song could take off. I also think what takes off has never been more unpredictable.
How will you continue appealing to the international market? I honestly think the music I am making these days probably translates better in the American market but i’m sure time will tell! Would love to get over there as soon as I can when the rest of the world opens up!
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list? I do! I love the process of collaborating with other people. Some of my best collaborations to come have been literally written with a really close friend as we’ve been able to be completely open to each other as to what we want to say. The good ones have also been written in about an hour which is usually a great sign! My wishlist of collaborators would definitely include Julia Michaels, Benny Blanco, Machine Gun Kelly, Sasha Sloan, Paul Klein, Lauv, Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler, EDEN & Nothing Nowhere.
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps? I’d say go for it and that you can do anything you put your mind to.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans? Always happy to chat to people that enjoy what I do! My dm’s are open for all!
Any last words? Thanks so much for having me, appreciate your time and to those that have read on! See you at a show in 2021!!
#FridayFever on 97.9 FM Melbourne / 2pm – 4pm Friday Afternoons.
U.S. performer Bruce Springsteen plays his Fender Telecaster guitar while singing his hit song “Born in the U.S.A.” as he completed his world tour at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in September 1985. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM catches up with Nashville based singer/songwriter Hunter Davis.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
My father is a songwriter (we wrote Sticks and Storms together) so wordsmithing and music was just a part of life from my earliest recollections. Entering into songwriting and music was one of those things that seemed as natural as taking over a family business.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
Authenticity and catharsis. For me personally, there’s a sense of needing to get words, melody, and material out of my head and into the world to allow it to become something else, for someone else. That authenticity and knowing it needs to live in the world, always drives me to make better music.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
Well my first son will be born in a few weeks so I’ll be taking a short time off haha But I have two singles slated for release in early 2021 and with the state of the world its tough to say what the touring projection will be. In support of the singles its looking like a digital tour will be most likely.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
This latest release was written in the wake of the Nashville Tornado that struck the night of March 2nd. I woke up about 10 secs before my fiance and I took a direct hit and the song outlines some of the moments and emotions of that event.
As far as my music, I just do my best to stick to the tenants of what I feel is honest and makes the best art. The craft of words and melody are gospel, whatever comes from that combo is what you hear from me.
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?
As a writer I feel a certain obligation to capture the events, feelings, and emotions of life around me. Any number of those things can spark an idea that leads to a song. But often, I hear a melody within a particular chord progression of riff while playing guitar and I match that with an idea or emotion…and then I just ride that wave to see if it takes me anywhere.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
“Meaning” is subjective. I would personally say no, but that doesnt mean that the next person might discover a hidden meaning in a line or lyric that Ive written which, in that case, would turn that “no” into a “yes. Art resonates differently for everyone.
Success, what is the secret to it?
Determining what your definition of “success” is and then stubbornly and doggedly pursuing it. You have to stay in the game to win the prize, but theres no buzzers or periods to know when to stop… just gotta keep playing.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
On this last single I had the wonderful opportunity to work with producer Gena Johnson. Other than being one of the single most outstanding humans on the planet, she’s also engineered and produced some of the greatest(and personally my favorite) bands and artist records. From her, to the supporting band she assembled for the single, I was humbled and in awe of the talent that was in that studio. Hands down my biggest highlight.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Jason Isbell is hands down the most inspiring for me. From just a wordsmith perspective, he’s top of the mark.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
Always. Other than the two singles slated for the release at the beginning of 2021, I also have an entire record that is tentatively releasing at the end of Summer 2021.
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself in a few years?
I see myself continuously pursuing that highest quality music and content and being dynamic enough to know how to navigate that ever changing world.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?
My favorite thing is “This line of work” and my least favorite is “This line of work” haha
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
Not just one of my favorite Australian artists but one of my favorite artists ever, is Xavier Rudd. I discovered “Food in the Belly” around 2012 and was completely blown away. What an insane talent and so much respect for his views on the environment.
I know this will seem like an obvious answer and many Aussies will roll their eyes (yes, I know he was born in NZ) but hands down Keith Urban. Just an outstanding musician, writer, and overall person.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
In so many ways the advent of social media has made our job better and more difficult all at once. You know have access to so much data (views, streams, numbers, regions of promotion etc etc) that it allows you to target audiences and interact more specifically. But its also potentially overwhelming for artists (aka me) who want to focus more on the craft of writing or performing,but now also have to run numbers like an accountant.
How will you continue appealing to the international market?
Just continue to release high quality material and remain within their sphere of awareness.
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
I know we already talked about him, but can I add Xavier Rudd to the wish list? haha
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Focus on your reasons for pursuing music and why its important. Follow that passionately and with honesty, it will cut down on a lot (not all) of the anxiety and mystery of the endeavor.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans?
Thank you so much for listening! Feel free to reach out on Instagram or Facebook, I’m usually pretty good at responding to everyone! (just give me some time haha)
Any last words?
Wash your hands, believe in art, and don’t be an arsehole
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM catches up with Melbourne power pop act Midnight Drags.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
My earliest memories of falling in love with music are when I was around 6 or 7 years of age discovering my parents vinyl collection.. they were big pop music fans and I used to spend hours & hours listening to stuff like Men At Work, The Beatles, ABBA, Billy Joel, The Fureys, Willy Nelson, Carole King & Meatloaf standing on my tip toes turning albums over (the record player was quite high!). I was particularly obsessed with one 45 single: Little Red Riding Hood by Sam The Sham & The Pharaoes, me and my big sis and cousins would play it over and over running circles around the couch.. I think we were equal parts exhilarated and scared shitless of the howling he does throughout the song..
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
I’m motivated to keep growing and pushing as a writer when I hear other great music.. It’s always inspiring to hear what other talented musicians are creating. I’m constantly influenced by new and exciting music.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish?
Well the cool thing is that I’ve already accomplished some of my biggest goals ie: setting up my own studio and getting to work with other crazy talented people.. Releasing my own music that i’m super proud of (insert plug: Long Way Back Down by Lucas James & the upcoming Bad Business by Midnight Drags). So looking to the future I just want to be able to continue to do what I’m doing..
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
No touring plans (yet).. I think I’m just going to focus on getting more of the Midnight Drags stuff out in the coming months and keep writing new music.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
It’s essentially a love song.. A song about grief, pain and what happens to someone when the person they love gets taken away from them. It was recorded at my studio (Hot Bias Recording Studio) late last year with the greatest band on earth, consisting of : Ash Naylor on guitar (and co-production duties), Bill McDonald on bass & Brett ‘Wolfie’ Wolfenden on drums. Musically, I would describe the single “Ronnie’ as gritty power-pop with the rest of the album as floating between straight rock, hard rock, pop-rock, with a touch of glam rock in there too! It’s pretty rock 🙂
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?
Often it’s just noodling around on the guitar or jamming over drum loops that gets the juices flowing. Once a musical idea hits, I work pretty fast.. I’ll usually hash out a chord progression and a melody in the first 5 or 10 minutes. Then I start looking for inspiration for the lyrics to fit my melodic ideas. Sometimes I’ll look in my notebook where I have a handful of lyrical ideas I can work off and other times I’ll come up with a story idea on the spot. I don’t know what gets me writing as I never force it. It’s the unreliable muse.. I’ll go months and months without writing, then I’ll have crazy, prolific periods where I’ll write everyday for a few weeks.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
I think in every song I write there is a little bit of my story intertwined throughout. Sometimes I keep things intentionally vague. For example I wrote a song called ‘Freddie Steals A Twenty’.. So, now my mum can’t find out that it was me who stole her $20 when I was 14.
Success, what is the secret to it?
Don’t ask me!! 🙂 (But I’ll give it a crack).. I think success is doing what you love and being happy. I don’t equate success to dollars or followers or hits, those are all nice but to me a person is truly successful when they are happy and at peace with what they do.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
Probably opening my own recording studio (Hot Bias Recording Studio). I’ve always had little home set-ups but the day I finally moved into my own proper space was a ‘pinch myself’ moment.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Producers like Shawn Everett and Paul Epworth are but a couple of people who inspire me, Kevin Parker is amazing and I’m a big Josh Homme fan too.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
As a matter of fact yes, I’m currently working with (actor) Stephen Curry on a comedy/music album! It’s going to be a bunch of silly yet very musical songs and skits that we hope to put out next year. People don’t realise that aside from being a funny bugger, Stephen is actually a very talented musician.. We played in a band together many (many) years ago.
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself a few years?
Hopefully doing the same things.. Writing music, working with other artists and bands and I would love to be writing/co-writing music with more varied artists.
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
Off the top of my head: The Teskey Brothers, Skyhooks, You Am I, Even, Frente, AC-DC, Paddy Come Home, The Bamboos, Peking Duk, The Chats, The Drones, The Living End, Nai Palm, Speed Mullet .. I could go on.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
I love the way that social media and new platforms have given new artists a way to get heard.. I’m one of them! If you’re an artist from a small town with no live music scene it’s really cool to know that you can still be heard and seen on social media. The industry has changed so much and it really is possible to have a career as an artist without being signed to a label at all. Although, you do need to be tenacious with good nouse (and hopefully hella talent) but it can be done for sure.
How will you continue appealing to the international market?
Good question.. But to be honest it’s not something I think about! (terrible answer I know)
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
On the songwriting front, I would love to write with Jason Isbell, Kevin Parker, Mark Ronson.. In a playing/jamming capacity I want to play clean tight guitar with Corey Wong and funk it up.
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Keep being yourself, don’t give up and work hard!
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans?
If you’re a fan of mine then well done.. You’ve got bloody good taste and I love you mum!
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM catches up with US singer/songwriter Trevor Blake.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
I’ve been involved with music since I was 15 playing in bands. I just loved the idea of being able to create something from nothing and put it out into the world, it’s an amazing process that I wanted to be a part of.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
Seeing all the bands I grew up listening to do great things is a big push for me to try and accomplish those same feats. I want to make this world a better place than I left it and I think music is a great way to do that, changing peoples thoughts can change the way we live.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish?
I want to tour and visit some of the greatest cities in the world, and obviously I want my music to reach as many people as possible so a Gold record would be a nice touch.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
I’ve got a music video for my single “Down” that I absolutely loved filming and I can’t wait to unveil that. I have my fingers crossed that we have a vaccine before the release of my album in 2021 so I can start playing shows again, but until then I’d love to do some virtual shows.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
My upcoming single “Down” is coming out on December 1st 2020. It’s a song about breaking out of the projected characters we play in other peoples lives and just enjoying life to the fullest and being whoever we want to be. I’d say my music is Pyschadelic Pop, not in the sense that it sounds psychedelic but more in terms of lyrical content, I love slipping in little things that most people would overlook.
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?
Typically it’s 3am and I hop on my piano and play around on my piano until something really clicks with me. Almost everytime I turn it on I write a song. I think whenever I learn a big life lesson I want to share it with the world and my creative juices get flowing and I just let whatever posses me to take over.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
Oh absolutely. Almost all of my music throws in subtle hints to my own psychedelic expericences, I know a lot of people shy away from being that blunt about it, but it’s an experience that needs to be talked about because it can bring so much value to people.
Success, what is the secret to it?
Hard work, taking chances, creativity, learning, and dedication. There’s really no secret, it’s obvious that if you put in the work and have the know how you will succeed.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
Making the music video for “Down” it was really the first time I had an idea for a video that came out exactly how I pictured it in my head and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Paul McCartney. I admire how positive he keeps his music and it’s amazing to see a man thrive the way he has even into his old age. Billie Eilish too, we can all see how hard it is to handle fame and her story is no different, struggling with depression myself I admire how she keeps herself afloat amidst all the negativity.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
My album is releasing in 2021 and beyond that I have plans to really experiment on the next record.
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself a few years?
It’s so hard to say, hopefully adapting. Obviously I want to say I’ll be touring and seeing great success but the future will tell itself. All I can do is put in the work and hope it all pays off.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?
My favorite is performing and creating. The time between that where I’m prepping my release can be very discouraging not knowing how my music will be recieved, but I still find some joy in it where I can.
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
In Hearts Wake is a great band, I actually had the oppurtunity to play with them while they were in America. Great guys, and have an absolutely amazing live show. Tame Impala is very good and even name dropped me in a song (although I’m about 95% sure it was a different Trevor).
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
The industry can be amazing when working with geniune people, but for some money talks and I guess we just have to take that as it is. Social Media has become an absolute staple and I think now more than ever we artists and media outlets need a better platform where we can be heard, I hope that some day we get that platform. For the time being all we can do is follow the rules in place now and learn and adapt.
How will you continue appealing to the international market?
I make music true to me and I think that’s well recieved everywhere. Thankfully worldwide releases are now very easy and I love working with press outside of America, I’ll continue to do that as I progress into my career.
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
So far I haven’t but would love to. Speaking realistically I’m a big fan of this new artist out of New York, Morgan Saint. Geena Fontanella is another, I follow both of them on Instagram and I think it would be awesome to work with either of them.
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Be prepared to put the work in and be authentic to yourself. As much as this can be a job you need to enjoy yourself when you create your content, people can tell the difference.
Thank you so much for your continued support. I usually talk to most fans on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok but if you message me or even tweet at me I’ll see it, and I love to hear from you guys.
Any last words?
Watch Joe Pera Talks with You it’s an amazing show. Also, my single comes out December 1st and you can Preorder and Pre-save it on my website.
THEAUSSIEWORD.COM special interview with Opal Ocean.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
Alex: My dad played guitar around the house and he always had friends coming over for late night jams. I always knew I wanted to play guitar but it’s when I saw a DVD of the G3 with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Malmsteen that I decided to take it seriously.
Nadav: I have a very similar back story except it was my mum playing guitar and my brother’s musical taste which put me onto learning guitar at the age of 13 with bands like Metallica being at the helm of my musical journey. From that point on it’s been a journey of sound and exploring new ideas.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
Alex: I see music as a gift and I was very lucky to receive it at a young age. As a musician the goal is to pass it on to others and inspire people to pick up an instrument. In that process I’m trying to keep it interesting for myself with songs that I enjoy to play.
Nadav: Exploring new territory is always a goal when it comes to music. There’s so many bands I love but I never have “enough” when I listen to their music. This makes me want to create music to fill that satisfaction.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish?
Alex: They are many, but if 2020 has taught me anything is to be happy with what you have now, you never know how the future is going to play out. A lot of my childhood dreams of playing music live and inspiring others to play have already been accomplished. Now I can only hope to continue that trend and keep evolving in my professional and personal life.
Nadav: I think just being able to break the notion that you need a singer to top the charts. Instrumental music is notoriously hard to make a big statement as there’s no human voice to give a message and it would be very cool to see if that would ever happen But as Alex mentioned we’re both very happy and grateful to have what we have now.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
Alex: Our local council has opened up the possibility to busk in some areas. We are very excited to get out into the world again as we’ve been in lockdown since late March, apart for the month of June. Melbourne has been severelyhit by the virus and we had to cancel all plans for touring until the country opens up again. We are working on shows for 2021 but at this point it is all uncertain.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
Alex:The Hadal Zone is the title track of our new album and it represents our love for the progressive genre. It was meant as a tribute to Tool with a 7/4 groove throughout the song. For us this is definitely on the slower side as we usually write songs much faster than this but we fell in love with the tumbling feel of this rhythm and decided to push things and see where it would take us. Overall this is a very special song for us and it is a new milestone in our development.
Nadav: Our music overall is definitely an eclectic mix of genres all mashed onto two acoustic guitars. When we play these songs we really imagine us with a full band playing Heavy Metal Or Prog Rock but the acoustic nylon guitars give the music much more of an interesting texture and ultimate softer output!
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?
Alex: I suppose it all comes from a sort of vision Nadav and I have. When we tour and play a lot together, we stumble on moments of music that make us raise our eyebrows, so we take notes. Over time we compile those ideas and when we feel like we have enough we’ll find the time to sit down and put those songs together. We are on the hunt to keep ourselves stimulated musically, so anything that feels new and exciting is given the green light to be pushed forward.
Nadav: Atmosphere. Watching live music and other great artists is very inspiring for creative juices! With our particular playing style we can take a lot of influences on board so hearing something new and fresh makes us eager to try adapt and translate that into our own style.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
“You don’t need to be a full band to sound like one”. That would be the main message we’re trying to move across.
Success, what is the secret to it?
Alex: We still haven’t figured that one out! But from the little success we’ve had I’d say a strong vision and lots of perseverance is key if you want to do anything in this industry.
Nadav: Determination, discipline and direction. Know what your goals are (direction), use your passion to motivate yourself to get where you need to be (determination) and make sure if you lose focus or get distracted you have the discipline to get back on track.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
Alex: I would normally say, playing Montreux Jazz festival, the millions of views on our original songs, and that time we got into Quincy Jones’s birthday party at Montreux or even having Jordan Rudess on our album. But what I really hold close to my heart is the amazing people that helped up over the years. I had no idea strangers could be so generous, welcoming and straight up legends. From the fans that take the time to learn our songs so we could have a jam, or the fan that opens up his home to us for a few nights on tour to the fan that backs us in our crazy crowdfunding campaigns. Those people are why we give it 100% and we’ll continue to give it 100%.
Nadav: I think The Hadal Zone album. It’s not out yet but it feels like we finally found our voice in the music industry and that we are doing something unique and fresh. We’re not exactly sure how everyone will take the album but we’re happy with how the album came out overall.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Alex: Anyone that has some degree of success in the industry has something to teach you. As musicians we respect all the virtuosos of this world, because we understand the amount of work and dedication those skills represent. And the same goes with artists that think out of the box, we’ll check him out and go through his repertoire and work out if we can apply any of it in our world.
Nadav: It’s always inspiring to see self made musicians and the ones which worked to get where they are. Playing and busking on the street has given us a better understanding of what it takes to get from the ground going as an independent artist. When we see others gaining success it is truly inspiring.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
Well the new album is coming out on the 16 of October so we’ll definitely be busy till then. We’ve got a masterclass series we’re putting together. Hopefully that will come out at the end of the year. We definitely want to film some more music videos for some of the tracks off the album. Then if all goes to plan, we’ll be getting ready for touring Europe in June. We might even record some more tracks if we find the time and money…
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself a few years?
Alex: I know the industry has taken a massive hit with covid-19, in all honestly, I would be happy being where we were before the pandemic. Touring and recording music is the best.
Nadav: Yeah I’m the same, if we can get to where we were with being able to survive touring the world off our music that would be amazing right now.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?
Alex: My favourite part is performing and connecting with people, and my least favourite part is the insecurity of revenue that we unfortunately have to deal with since day one.
Nadav: Creating and expressing something that means something not just to ourselves but to other people as well. Financial security. Not being able to create new music to the standard we want because we have bills to pay or not even knowing if we can pay those bills ha!
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
Malcura, Tommy Emmanuel, Karnivool; Pilini; Xavier Rudd; John Butler Trio; AC/DC
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
Nadav: Social media has been the number 1 driving force of getting us out there. It’s a tricky one as these days it feels so over saturated and forced to get people to listen to your music but at the same time if you don’t push it out there you won’t ever get people coming back to check you out. Overall though our experience has been positive but hard work!
Alex: It’s great! We wouldn’t be where we are today without social media. It’s very cheap to run and we have a lot of control over it. It’s a lot of trial and errors and you have to be diligent about it but that’s nothing new, especially for musicians.
How will you continue appealing to the international market?
The truth is that we mostly appeal to the international market, we’ve never toured Australia because it’s such a hard country to tour and how little fans we have here compared to Europe or the USA.
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
Alex: Well, with the new album, you can tick off Jordan Rudess of the list! We’ve played with Beardy Man, Malcura, The Trouble Notes and Tribubu. Personally, I would love to collaborate with Infected Mushrooms or Shpongle, I feel like the Psy-Trance scene would connect well with our music. Trio Joubran is one of my favourite acoustic bands, I would totally love playing with them, same goes with Rodrigo y Gabrieal they basically inspired our band form the get go.
Nadav: There’s definitely some interesting ways we could collaborate with people but the main one would have to be a film composer like Hans Zimmer or David Elfmam. I feel our music could already be synced to a film or TV show because of it’s instrumental vibes. It would be such an amazing experience to work with someone like that on a project.
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Be different! There are so many musicians today that being “the best guitar player” no longer cuts it. Find what makes you truly unique and build it up.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans?
Nadav: Just be yourself! I have always been that guy who waits hours to talk to the band after the show or take pictures so I know what it’s like from the fan perspective. Because of that we always try to make time in person or online to respond to your messages or want to have a chat!
Alex: I miss meeting them after a show, we’d always spend a lot of time after a show or before to hang out with everyone and share their stories. Thankfully we have social media that enables us to keep in touch but it really doesn’t compare to face to face rambling. I Hope everyone is keeping safe and I’m looking forward to being on the road again.
Any last words?
Nadav: Don’t be afraid to express yourself! We’re all just trying to connect with one another and music is our universal language!
Alex: Thank you for this opportunity, I always enjoy talking about my journey as an artist. I hope you and your viewers are safe and if you ever feel bored just put on some Opal Ocean to ease your mind for a while, Enjoy!
